Prof. dr.Verweij, M.F. (Marcel)

Background

Marcel Verweij holds the chair of philosophy at Wageningen University. His group is part of Communication, Philosophy and Technology: Centre for Integrative Development in the Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen UR. Before Verweij came to Wageningen he has worked as philosopher and ethicist at Utrecht University, the University of Amsterdam, the University Medical Centre Nijmegen, and as visiting scholar at the universities of Stellenbosch, Keele, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research and teaching cover a very broad area in applied philosophy and ethics, including animal ethics and business ethics, but his primary focus is public health. Together with Angus Dawson (University of Sydney) he initiated public health ethics as a new area of studies in moral philosophy. They are founding Editors-in-Chief of Public Health Ethics, a journal published by Oxford University Press. The journal is now the centre of a flourishing interdisciplinary scientific field.

Key topics in relation to technology include: ethics of vaccination, diagnostic technologies, mass screening, the prevention of antimicrobial resistance, and innovative approaches to promote healthy nutrition (e.g. via nudging techniques or via innovations in food products).

Verweij has fulfilled consultative roles for the World Health Organization and is member of the Health Council of the Netherlands. He has been involved in more than 20 advisory reports for the Minister of Health, including reports on collective vaccination, screening, preconception counselling, special policies for high-risk groups, and expert reports on Q-Fever and Mexican Flu.

Research interests

• Public Health Ethics (ethical issues in relation to vaccination, infectious disease control, antimicrobial resistance, medical technology, OneHealth, health promotion, nutrition, nudging)
• Business Ethics (responsibility of companies for public goods)
• Moral Philosophy (normative theory, relation between theory and moral practice, solidarity, health concepts)

Scientific publications (selection)

2016

• Verweij, MF, Lambach P. Ortiz JR, Reis A, Maternal Immunization: Ethical Issues. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2016;16 (12): e310–e314.
• Verweij MF, Bovenkerk B. Ethical promises and pitfalls of OneHealth. Public Health Ethics 2016;9(1):1-4.

2015

• Verweij, M.F. “How (not) to argue for the rule of rescue. Claims of Individuals vs Group Solidarity” In: I. Glenn Cohen, Norman Daniels, and Nir Eyal (eds.) Identified versus Statistical Victims. An Interdisciplinary Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015: pp. 137-149.

2014

• Verweij M.F. and Houweling H. “What is the responsibility of national government with respect to vaccination?” Vaccine. 2014; 32(52):7163-6. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.10.008.
• Verweij M.F. Curiosity and responsibility. Philosophy in relation to healthy food and living conditions. Inaugural lecture. Wageningen: Wageningen University, 2014.

2013

• Schmidt S. and Verweij M.F. “The PHM-Ethics methodology: interdisciplinary technology assessment of personal health monitoring.” In: Schmidt S, Rienhoff O (eds.) Interdisciplinary assessment of personal health monitoring. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2013: 13-22.
• Rump, B., Cornelis, C., Woonink, F., Verweij, M. “The need for ethical reflection on the use of molecular microbial characterisation in outbreak management” Eurosurveillance 2013;18(4):9.
• van der Burg S., Verweij M.F. “Maintaining Trust in Newborn Screening: Compliance and Informed Consent in the Netherlands” Hastings Center Report 2012; 42 (5):41-47. DOI: 10.1002/hast.66

2012

• Collste G., Verweij M.F. “Personal health monitoring and human interaction.” The American Journal of Bioethics 2012 (9): 47-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2012.699151

2011

• Verweij M.F. “Fraud, Excuse, and Responsibility”. In: Dubbink, W., van Luijk, H., and L. van Liedekerke. European Business Ethics. Cases in Context. Springer, 2011: 285-290.
• Verweij M.F. “The pharmaceutical industry and the Aids crisis”. In: Dubbink, W., van Luijk, H., and L. van Liedekerke. European Business Ethics. Cases in Context. Springer, 2011: 33-45.
• Verweij M. “The distinction between research and practice. A response to Tom Beauchamp” Journal of Internal Medicine 2011;269 (4): 388-391.